Daily Archives: September 23, 2010

We’ve just added two new kids to the Saeco lineup, at opposite ends of the spectrum: The Xelsis Digital ID for fancypants folks and the Focus for semi-fancypants folks that also have limited counter space. Here are their stories:

Saeco Xelsis Digital ID
This one-touch superautomatic is identical to it’s non-Digital ID counterpart except for one thing: Fingerprint reading! Yes, that’s right, if you can’t get it together to scroll through the different programmed users to find your profile that early in the morning, maybe simply placing your index finger on a panel atop the machine is the answer. The Digital ID can be programmed to recognize the print on the finger of your choice, automatically pulling up your preferences. Then getting your coffee is as easy as pushing the button that corresponds to a previously programmed product — espresso, long coffee, cappuccino and more.

The Verdict: While we’re all about technological gadgets that improve our quality of life, we’re not totally certain that this fingerprint-reading espresso machine is one of them. We love the Xelsis otherwise, however, and this machine has all the same excellent features and functionality. Maybe this functional addition could be a fun conversation piece?

Saeco Focus
For adherents to a more streamlined, less complicated approach to life, the new Focus is an excellent option — it’s functionally very similar to the new Saeco Syntia, sharing its compact design, simple and straightforward interface, ceramic grinder and SBS functionality, but with a black casing instead of the stainless steel.

The Verdict: It would be hard to go wrong with this machine, and if stainless steel doesn’t matter to you, stylistically, you’ll get the same functional machine with the Focus that you do with the Syntia for a little bit cheaper.